Playboy Heir

by Brandy Munroe

  "Well, look at us," I gestured, waving my hand between us, "having a normal conversation like normal people. Without sex. I like this.”

  "I do too," Aleksander told me.

  "I want you go come over for dinner on Saturday,” I invited, taking him by surprise.

  "Like a date," Aleksander drawled.

  "Yes like a date, a real sit down, have dinner, maybe a glass of wine, conversation and say goodbye and a goodnight kiss at the door kind of date."

  "A date it is," Aleksander wholeheartedly remarked with approval.

  "I have to get back to the hospital." I hated to pull away and disrupt what we had recently shared. The wounds were still there; maybe not as deep, but present. Starting over the old fashioned way might be exactly what we both need.

  "I spend way more time here than I had intended," I told him.

  "I would love to come with you," Aleksander hesitated, "but I've been very distracted these last few days and now I've fallen behind with the launch. Can you forgive me?"

  I kissed him on the cheek and teased, "Maybe."

  My cell pinged. I learned my lesson in New York not to leave it on vibrate in case the hospital needed to get a hold of me.

  "The hospital?" Aleksander asked.

  "No, it's nothing," I lied.

  "That face you're making is not nothing," Aleksander growled. “If we want this to work between us, there can be no more secrets. Haley, do want this to work? Do you want there to be an us?”

  Chapter 33

  Haley

  "It’s my ex, hurricane Brad," I said.

  "What does he want?" Aleksander pressed. I was not willing to drag Aleksander into Brad's sick game. He was right; the look on my face gave me away. I sat down. "It's just texts," and I handed the phone to Aleksander.

  The text said, you're making this way too easy and included was an attachment, the picture of us at the club.

  "What's going on, Haley? What does he mean?" Aleksander voiced his concern. After a few moments I explained about Brad's injuries, his endless unsuccessful treatment, and his threats to sue for custody if I didn't pay him for yet another round of treatment.

  "I think we need to take a step back. Brad will see I have no money and hopefully back off. But in case he pushes it, I don't need any more pictures like these showing up in the tabloids. I can't lose my son because some judge believes I'm a bad mother out getting drunk while my son was in the hospital. So far Brad has nothing, just a few misguided photos. I want to keep it that way, so no date Saturday."

  " Haley, we can work through this," Aleksander said.

  "No, and until I know that Brad is just blowing hot air, I can't do an us." I retrieved my phone and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. “One last one for the road. I think it’s best you stay clear of the hospital, as well. Goodbye, Aleksander.” I walked away, my heart breaking, again.

  I arrived at the hospital to find Uncle Charlie losing a game of checkers to Peyton. "Well, look who is feeling better,” I said excitedly while hugging my son.

  "Where'd been?" he asked.

  "Just taking care of work," I answered in the simplest terms for him to understand.

  "With Leona?"

  " Yes, with Leona."

  " I like Leona," he smiled.

  "Me too," I agreed with him. It was the most active he had been since this ordeal began. I sat on the edge of his bed. This conversation was more for Uncle Charlie's sake than Peyton's.

  "You know how I have been working really really hard?" I began.

  "Aha," he answered, then he looked at Uncle Charlie. "I love Uncle Charlie but I missed you, Mommy."

  It broke my heart to know that all this time, when I thought I was doing the right thing for Peyton, I might have had it all wrong. He didn't want the things I could buy him with the money from my new job. He wanted my time. This confirmed that I made the right decision in deciding not to go to the main office.

  "Well," I told him, "you won't have to miss me anymore. The reason I have been working so hard is because we were building a new store above the old one and I am going to be the manager." I could tell by the look on his face that term meant nothing to him.

  "What that means is that now I am the boss like Leona. So I will get to spend more time with you" I said excitedly as I hugged him, brushed the hair from his forehead and kissed him.

  "Yuck," he proclaimed and immediately took the back of his hand and wiped it off.

  I could not contain my excitement when I described to Uncle Charlie how with the specially shoes going appointment only and none were to be booked on Saturdays I would have weekends off unless there was a VIP. Even then it would be an in and out, it wouldn't take all day.

  "I suppose that only matters if you have someone to spend it with," a voice came from the doorway. The voice that I once found amusing, comforting, now made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

  "Hi Daddy," Peyton chimed in.

  "Hey champ," was all he said.

  No hug, no how are you feeling, no sorry I acted like an idiot ran off to some foreign country and got you sick I thought to myself. I had no desire to begin round two with Brad.

  "Hey champ, I don't suppose you would like to have Uncle Charlie take you for a ride in that wheelchair there so I can talk to your mom." He then looked at me and answered the question that was coming. "I asked the nurse. She said it might do him some good to get out of bed for awhile."

  I knew this concern had nothing to do with Peyton and everything to do with him, as usual. Uncle Charlie gave me a sideways glance to make sure I was okay with being left alone with Brad after the last visit. I gave a nod of approval. I wanted to shelter Peyton from whatever Brad had to rant about this time.

  Brad closed the door. "How's your boyfriend," he taunted. "Looks like the two of you get around."

  "He isn't my boyfriend. He isn't even my boss anymore, Brad. I knew that job was temporary," I lied, "until the new men's store opened. I'm going to be the new manager."

  "Great," then he clapped his hand together. "How much child support can you afford to pay me?"

  I laughed in his face. "Child support. Well let me see… oh yeah, none."

  "Don't push me, Haley," he walked up to me. I stood my ground and faced him. I would not back down this time.

  He put on the most sardonic grin that would rival any serial killer. I shivered as he snarled. "My sister loves her girls but damn, wouldn't she like a boy, a nice polite one like Peyton. He would fit in nicely with her family. She says she will buy my half of the business, to continue my treatments of course. And well, someone is going to have to take care of ol' champ there while I'm away."

  I stepped back, afraid of what I might do next. My hands covered my mouth in horror. "You want to sell my son to your sister if I don't pay you?" I heard wrong, no man would be so cruel to someone he claimed to once love, to his own child.

  "Don't make it sound so ugly, Haley,” he sneered. “I'm not selling, just putting him in a stable loving home. That is, unless your rich boyfriend feels the need to play prince charming and help you out with a little funding."

  "Go to hell, Brad. You are not getting a dime from me, do you hear?!" I screamed.

  "Fine," he retorted while backing away. "See you in court."

  "Try all you want, Brad, you have nothing."

  Standing at the nurses station was Aleksander. Was he there to check on me despite my rebuttals?

  Brad turned back to me and laughed. "Not your boyfriend? Keep this up, Haley, and I'll have plenty," he shouted as he was leaving.

  I took my frustrations out on Aleksander. "I told you to stay away!" I reminded him as I stomped towards him, fists clenched, my eyes filling with tears. He reached to steady me; I was so angry I was vibrating.

  I backed away. "Is the store on fire? Is it falling down? Has it blown up?" Without taking a breath or given him a time to answer, I continued, "What was so important that you came down here when I told you not to?"


  He reached for me, trying to comfort me, looked me in the eyes and answered, "You. You and Peyton are what’s so important that I had to come."

  Peyton came running around the corner. "Mommy," behind him Uncle Charlie and Dr. Baker. "Hi, Aleksander." He enunciated each syllable to make sure he had not said it wrong. "I can go home now," Peyton announced as he threw his arms around me.

  . "That's right, as long as you agree to listen to your mother and get plenty of rest," Dr. Baker confirmed.

  "No soccer," Peyton solemnly said, repeating what the doctor had already told him.

  "There no reason to keep him any longer. The only thing he needs is more rest and he can get that at home just as well as he will here."

  "That's great," I gushed.

  "Mommy, are you crying?"

  "Of course I'm crying, I'm so happy you are finally coming home," I lied. As my son hugged me tightly I mouth over his shoulder to Aleksander, "Go away, please."

  I took my son to his room to gather his things. I turned around to apologize to Aleksander. It was not fair for me to take my anger with Brad out on him. There Aleksander was flirting, with the station nurse. It didn't take him long to move on. Hopefully this will convince Brad to leave me alone.

  Peyton fell asleep on the car ride home. I felt it was safe to tell Uncle Charlie what Brad had wanted. It took all my resolve not to break down and cry.

  "It's okay to cry, Haley," he told me. "Everyone knows you are a great mother. You will have them lining up to tell any judge that. Do you need me to stay the night, for protection?"

  "No, I will be fine. I have excellent deadbolts. I got them installed the last time I found Brad in the house going through my cookie jars looking for money. No one is getting in unless I let them in."

  Then I looked at the man sitting in the driving seat, the one constant in my life since my father died, and thanked him for always being there.

  "I’m sorry I didn’t see the way Brad treated you.” A far away look came over him. “From where I stood, it always looked like he was there to pick up when I wasn’t around. I hoped he would turn into the man I truly believed he could be. Instead, he’s stuck as the angry young boy, upset he never measured up to his father expectations. I love you like a daughter, Haley. I love you the way you should have been loved by your own father. I just hope I measured up and didn’t fail you."

  "Oh, Uncle Charlie, you more than measured up and I love you too. I never could have done this alone. After I left Brad, you never judged me. You never sided with Brad's family that I was nothing more than a gold-digging whore who took him away from his family then left when he got hurt.”

  Pulling into my driveway, he looked back at Peyton. “Haley, you and that little boy are my family. I will always be on your side. Just like Brad’s family will always take his side, even if they know he’s wrong,” he sighed.

  I kissed the old man on the cheek, picked up my sleeping son, and headed into the house.

  I put him in his favorite PJ's, changed into mine and put him in my bed. If Brad thought I was going to let him win, then he had no idea what kind of strong independent woman I had become in his absence.

  He may not know, but he and his family was going to find out what this gold-digging whore was made of.

  Chapter 34

  Haley

  Saturday morning I decided to take Peyton to the soccer game, not to play but to sit and cheer on his friends and get some fresh air. Leona and Mimi came with us.

  I remembered the last time we all came together. The day I got a good look at the coach. How could I had possibly thought him too thin? I made it a point not to go anywhere near the coach.

  I was going to be the perfect mom. Take my son to school, make sure he did not miss any follow up appointments with the doctor, stay home with him evenings. All until I battled Brad in court and won.

  I was sure come Monday I would be served with papers requesting my presence for this sham of a custody hearing. All I could do was be myself, work hard to show I had and would continue to support Peyton without any help from Brad.

  If I had not been so blind in the first place, not been so trusting, not been so sure Brad would come around, I would have made sure I got sole custody from the start. Hindsight, what a great attribution to secure.

  The soccer practice went on like clockwork. The kids played enthusiastically while Aleksander kept his patience with the ones who were not exactly paying attention. He had taken to supplying all the kids with an ice cream bar after practice. With pre-approval from the parents, of course.

  The kids loved him, the parents loved him. The soccer moms really loved him when he took off his sweaty shirt. And I knew I loved him.

  It was hard for me to accept that I could feel so strongly in such a short amount of time. All my years with Brad, when I thought I knew love, felt nothing like this. Now because of Brad I would miss out on real love.

  At the end of the game, Aleksander waved towards us, gesturing that we come and get some ice cream. Leona waved back. "You sit here and mope while I go get some ice cream from a really hot guy," she teased.

  As hard as I tried not to stare his way, I could not take my eyes off him. I was going to spend the day with Leona and the kids hanging out at the pier.

  Leona was aware of the sensitive nature of my predicament and knew not to dare invite Aleksander to come along. I knew he would be in the building come Monday, upstairs. I would have to face him in the workplace with a lot of people around to keep us from doing anything stupid that might cost me custody of my son.

  Why was Leona torturing me by taking her time talking to him? Was she flirting with him the way the other soccer moms did? I could not believe I was jealous, jealous of Leona talking to Aleksander.

  The same Aleksander I sent away, told to stay away. The same Aleksander that still made my insides burn with want. I shifted, feeling that uncontrollable pooling between my thighs.

  Finally Leona and the kids were coming my way with an ice cream for me. Peyton ran over, looking proud that he had thought to ask for one for me.

  "I kept him talking so you could leer a little longer but he said he had a very important appointment and had to go, sorry," my friend apologized.

  That what Leona was doing, giving me the opportunity to take in as much of him as time would allow. Someone joked once a good friend will bail you out of jail, a great friend was sitting in the cell next to you. Leona was a great friend.

  We both knew it would be a short day. Peyton was still weak and would need a nap by mid afternoon. "Let's grab some lunch and take it to your place, that way when Peyton runs out of steam we won't have to carry him." Leona was always thinking ahead. She was right about Peyton running out of steam. He also wore out Mimi and while the two of them took a nap, I took the opportunity to have a little adult one on one.

  As we stretched out on the couch I boldly asked my friend, "Leona, how do you go so long without…” then as I turned red with embarrassment, I whispered, "sex."

  "Who says I go without?" she snickered.

  " I know you, Leona, you don't cheat or screw around." I was adamant.

  " No, but there are ways to satisfy yourself, Haley."

  "After Brad I never cared for sex,” I confessed, "but now that Aleksander has woken up the beast inside, I don't know how long I can go without it."

  "Funny you should bring up the subject," Leona snickered. "I went into the specialty shop behind the video store while you were letting the kids pick out a movie and I got you a little something."

  Leona and that gigantic purse she tote around really came in handy at times like these. Everyone knew what was sold in the specialty shop behind the video store. But until today I did not know anyone who ever shopped there.

  Leona handed me a package. "I even asked them to gift wrap it for you. Please do not tell me you need instructions on how to use this, because that is where I draw the line." Those were the last words Leona got out before the kids came running in, re
freshed from their nap.

  "Let me take them to my place,” Leona offered. “I know you just got him home, but I think you might need a little time alone with your new friend. Sleep in tomorrow and pick Peyton up at lunchtime. You need some sleep, Haley, you look like hell."

  I knew not to argue with Leona when she put her mind to something. It would be nice to get a good night's sleep and not be listening for Peyton to wake up. If I took care of that itch, thanks to Leona's gift, I would not be waking up in a cold sweat reaching for the phantom that was haunting my dreams.

  "I really appreciate you." I hugged Leona. "A friend like you does not come along often. Some people never find one; how did I get so lucky?" Something about the way Leona hugged me back gave me a sense of reassurance.

  I went upstairs and dug through my closet for the old fashioned homemade quilt I had not used it in a very long time. It was the last gift my mother gave me before she got sick. I was afraid it would fall apart and I would have nothing left of my past. My security blanket, my father called it. Today something made me want that security blanket.

  It may not have been late in the evening but I poured myself a bath. As I reached in the fridge for a ice cold bottle of water I couldn't help but smile at the sight of a bottle of Perrier in there. I was sure it belonged to Leona.

  My inside began to ache with a need, a need I knew how to care of this time with the help of the little gift my friend left for me.

  After taking care of my needs and having my bath, I dressed in my favorite nightshirt. I flopped on to my bed and fell asleep wrapped in my quilt. I was in a deep slumber that had eluded me lately. I dreamt of my parents, my stepsisters, and my time with Brad. I was reliving my life in my dreams, like a movie.